Dissecting Tech – Page 5

“Turn the gravity back on” he said between heaving and gasping for air.

Instantly, he could feel the familiar tug of gravity on his body, and he floated quickly to the floor, and began to breath deeply as his body re-adjusted.

Expecting being weightless to be an entertaining ride, Alexander was slightly frustrated. He kept thinking that his imagination and the science fiction he had seen on television and movies was going to be his experiences in realty, but nothing could live up to his grand dreams.

Still, as he righted himself, and slid back into the front chair, he took another look around and reminded himself how amazing his day was turning out. He knew that he was lucky because he was chosen, and to be frustrated, or unhappy about being given a prize like the Resurrection was silly at the minimum and insane at the most.

Turning back around, he noticed the flight and navigation controls were still in place. Tapping a few areas on the table, the ship turned to face the Earth below.

“Computer, restore the front screen so I can see out in front of the ship please?” The image of the I.S.S. faded, and Alexander could see the Earth in front of him. The ship rushed towards the planet and as it continued to get lower and lower, it did some spins, sliding through the atmosphere as though it didn’t even exist. The controls were responsive, and easy to understand. The pre-programmed maneuvers could be interrupted or chained together. It was all very intuitive, and close to what he would have designed himself if given the chance.

Feeling comfortable with the basic ship controls, Alexander began to consider his next steps. He thought back to what the General had said regarding the ship creating the future that he lived in. Finally, an idea started to coalesce in his mind. “With the technology on this ship, I could start a new technological revolution!”

Looking around once again for confirmation or just expecting some kind of interaction, Alexander was met with silence. “But first, I need to find someone that I can share this with because I’ll go crazy if I keep talking to myself.”

There weren’t many people in his life that he felt he could trust, but he knew his two cousins were probably his best bet. Both younger than him by a few years, they shared similar interests, and were family, which made them trustworthy. Alexander thought to himself, wondering what dangers he may incur by sharing the secret of the vessel bestowed upon him, but there were no warnings not to, and so he started towards completion of the first step of his still fuzzy, but grand plan.

Matthew and Chris were brothers. Matthew was the older of the two and was trained in computer programming as well as network administration. Chris being sixteen was interested in technology and gaming but didn’t necessarily have any skills in either. Alexander got along with both of them quite well and while he realized that they might not necessarily be able to help him with his plans, he knew that if nothing else, they would be excited to try.

The ship hurled toward the Earth, many times faster than the speed of sound, and just before plunging into the Pacific Ocean, Alexander tapped on the controls and stopped the ship. Hovering only a few feet above the raging sea he marveled as his plan came together in his mind.

“Computer, where am I? And how can I find out where my apartment is?” Despite the globe still being present, it didn’t necessarily have enough information for Alexander to confidently find his way home.

Over on the right side of the desk the icons changed, replaced by a detailed map that included at directional indicator on where he should go. A blinking light with the word autopilot pulsed slowly at the bottom edge of the more detailed map. Tapping the button and then selecting a speed from the main controls, the graphic slid along the map.

Looking forward outside the front window, he could see he was moving along at a good clip. The water was ripping by, and while the scenery wasn’t really changing, due to the vastness of the ocean, it felt faster than Alexander had ever gone before.

Melting into the comfortable leather feeling manager chair he started to relax just as the rocky mountains came into view. He knew once he was back in Kingston, he could easily navigate from his apartment to his both of his cousin’s places as his entire family lived in the same city.